A Dream Come True?
by randomguy14
Summary: HinaNaru, My First Story, What happens when Naruto has nothing to do, and he's no longer obsessed with Sakura?
1. Chapter 1

First Story, Review if you want, flames or suggestions

Most of it will be fluff...don't read it if you don't like it

Will get better in the next few chapters

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1.Going to the Hot Springs

It was another boring day with nothing to do. He had tried to ask Granny Tsunade for some missions, but because they had just gotten over the Akatsuki fiasco, she wanted him to take a break for a while. So with nothing to do so early, he might as well get some breakfast at Ichiraku's.

Teuchi noticed a young man in an orange jacket heading in their direction. He immediately began to prepare bowls of his favorite food, ramen.

"Hello Naruto. Nice to see you so early in the morning."

"Hey Teuchi." Naruto grabbed a seat and started to think about what to do for the rest of the day. He hardly liked to do nothing on his days off. He needed something to do, but what?

Noticing that Naruto wasn't as lively as he naturally was he couldn't help but be a little concerned. "What's wrong Naruto?"

"Hmm...oh sorry. Nothing really. It's just that Granny Tsunade doesn't have any missions for me just yet, and I don't have anything to do. I hate being bored."

"Well there's plenty to do on a nice day like today. Maybe you should go down to the hot springs?" This suggestion peaked Naruto's interest, and considered it while slurping down some ramen.

"That is a good idea. It would be nice to relax a little, huh?" Naruto happily finished his ramen, and asked for seconds. "But it would be kinda weird going alone wouldn't it?"

Teuchi teased him a bit "Why don't you ask your team-mate, Sakura?"

Naruto almost choked on his food "Are you crazy?! She'd probably knock me out just for even thinking it!" However, Naruto did find this idea a bit interesting. He'd have to mull it over after breakfast.

After paying the bill and telling Teuchi goodbye, he set out to look for Sakura. She would most likely be at Granny Tsunade's office. It would be a great day to go to the springs and chill out. Maybe Sakura would enjoy him asking. Lately, Sakura and Naruto seemed to have grown closer, but not romantically. Strangely, Naruto didn't seem to mind or care that she wasn't interested in him. He liked to think of her as just a friend now.

On his way to the Hokage's Mansion, he ran into Shino, Kiba, and Hinata. The three of them looked like they were returning from a mission. They seemed tired and looked a bit mangy.

Naruto cheerfully greeted them "Hey guys. What's up?"

Kiba always taking initiative, as was expected seeing as who his partners were, replied back "Nothing much. We're on our way to Lady Tsunade's."

"Coming back from a mission?"

"Yeah. It was a pretty standard B-Ranked mission, just escorting some aristocrat." He remarked while pompously sticking his nose in the air. Akamaru similarly did the same. Hinata gave a soft smile, while hiding behind Shino.

Laughing, Naruto decided to join them. "Well since we're going the same way might as well have some company, right?"

"Right." Kiba agreed. "But what do you need to see Tsunade for?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm not going to see Granny today. I'm gonna ask Sakura if she'll go to the hot springs with me." His face showed no signs that he had an ulterior motive for wanting her to go with him.

Shocked that he had the courage to do that he surprisingly asked "Really? You don't think she'd find that a little perverted?" He gave him a dark grin.

Naruto now blushing a little thought about it. Was that a little strange? Surely friends go to hot springs together right, he assured himself.

"I don't think so. But then again who knows what women think." He chuckled a little.

Hinata was hiding and blushing at the idea of them sharing the springs together. He couldn't do such a thing-could he? She stood silently fiddling with her fingers until Kiba said something that made her day.

"Well what if all of us go along. Then she could be with Hinata too."

"That's a great idea, Kiba!"

"Yeah sure. We wouldn't mind a little down time, right guys?"

Shino simply nodded and gave a quiet "Sure."

Hinata, however, was red in the cheeks by now. "Um.. Y-yeah I wouldn't m-mind." She looked at Naruto through the sides of her eyes and quickly rushed her gaze down to the ground again. He was looking at her! How could she feel this embarrassed from just his eyes. Those two pools of cerulean blue could have had her mesmerized all day.

"Oh hey Hinata! I almost forgot about you since you're so quiet." He remarked with a big smile showing his stunning white teeth at her. She could have stared at that face all day. Until Kiba interrupted that is.

"Well let's get a move on shall we?"

--

While Kiba's group was reporting to Tsunade, Naruto decided to look around for Sakura. While looking around he ran into Granny's loyal assistant, Shizune.

"Hi Shizune."

"Oh, hello Naruto. What brings you here? Tsunade won't give you any missions you know?"

"Don't worry about that. I'm going to the hot springs with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. But I wanted to see if Sakura wanted to go along."

"Sorry Naruto. She's not here right now. Tsunade assigned her on a mission to gather ingredients for some antidotes."

"Oh, ok. Well I guess I'll see you later then. Bye Shizune."

"Goodbye Naruto." She noticed that Naruto had grown so much over the years. He had matured into quite the young man.

Just then the three chunnin exited Tsunade's office.

"Hey Naruto! Where's Sakura?"

"She's out on a mission right now, so it's just us. That ok?"

"Sure. That ok guys?"

Shino shocked them when he spoke up "I'm actually a little tired. I'm going home." And with that he was on his way.

"Man he is weird huh?" Naruto wasn't all too disappointed when he left. "Okay. how bout you Hinata?"

"Yeah Hinata how 'bout it?" Kiba asked with a dark grin on his face.

Hinata was flushed then became pale. "Umm i-if you don't mind N-Naruto."

"Of course I don't." He flashed her a great smile.

"W-well we better get going then." Her stutter was always apparent when Naruto was around.

Kiba was enjoying this very much and decided to come up with a little plan of his own.

--

"Well we're here. You sure you won't mind being alone Hinata?"

"I don't mind Kiba. I-it's ok."

They then headed off to the hot springs. Hinata was sitting on the edge soaking her feet in the warm water.

She let out a deep sigh "It's so nice to be here." (And Naruto is here too. I never thought I'd be at the Hot Springs with HIM of all people.) She almost was blushing as she started to move into the springs and doze off a little.

Kiba and Naruto were sitting silently in the springs for an uncomfortable amount of time. Naruto decided he should break the tension.

"Aww this is great!"

"Yeah. Too bad Sakura wasn't able to come huh?" He thought he'd try and gauge his reactions for his plan to work. However, Hinata could hear from the other side and decided to listen in.

Naruto kinda shrugged it off. "I guess. But it is nice not having to have her badmouth me while she's on the other side."

"Don't worry Hinata won't bad mouth you." He teased lightly.

"Hinata? Oh that's right. I forgot she came with us," he announced loudly. On the other side he thought he heard a sigh. "I know she won't. She's a nice person."

"Yeah. She is. Hey since you seem to think so nicely about her, you should go to lunch with her. I was gonna go with her later, but I'm too tired."

"Hmmm yeah why not? I really don't have anything else to do."

Hinata had heard this and decided to get her clothes and leave as quickly as possible.

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Sort of a cliffhanger...review if you want


	2. Chapter 2

2.Lunch with a Friend

Naruto decided to let Kiba rest, while he left the springs to go get changed. Hinata had just left as well, and was on her way to get her clothes. She was blushing fiercely and was now somewhat running for the door, at the thought of having lunch with Naruto alone . There was a crash. Because she wasn't paying attention, she had ran into the blonde ninja she was trying to avoid.

Naruto let out a groan and apologized "I'm so sor-...H-Hinata!" The two had fallen over on top of each other. Naruto was on top with his hands on either side of her. She smelled of lavendar, and leaned closer to smell her silky, smooth black hair. He was intoxicated by the mere scent of her.

Hinata was left with her mouth agape. "N-Naruto..." She was staring at him with his his light cerulean eyes searching her hair, as if to find the source of the scent he was so enthralled by. She, likewise, was looking at his big arms on each side of her, following his chest, down to his tight, firm abs. _Thank goodness his towel is still on. _Hinata was completely flushed, but didn't seem to care. She was breathing deeply and inhaling his sweet scent as well.

Hinata looked at his face, and noticed him blushing as well. She couldn't handle this close contact, even though she was hoping she could. Feeling light-headed, she quickly fainted.

--

Hinata started to wake up. Her eyes started to flutter, but could not seem to open.

"Hinata?" Naruto had been sitting next to her on a bench.

"N-Naruto? What happened?"

"You passed out after we bumped into each other. I didn't realize I had hit you that hard." he mentioned with a chuckle.

_Good thing he didn't realize why I fainted_."D-don't worry, you didn't. H-how long was I out?"

"A couple of hours."

"R-really? Where's Kiba?"

"He left already. He seemed tired, so I told him I'd wait for you to get better." He could see she was nervous, so he moved a little closer to her. Little did he know, that this was having an opposite affect on her.

Hinata had still noticed they were both in towels, and began to blush again. Naruto noticed her face and acknowledged the problem. "I..uhh..i didn't want to leave you alone in case you woke up. So I-I never got to change." He averted his eyes away from her, and gave a nervous laugh.

"Well I better go get changed." He got up and started to go walking towards the changing rooms. He suddenly realized his promise to Kiba. "Oh, and after you get changed, we can go to Ichiraku's," Hinata started to feel a familiar hear in her cheeks, which Naruto once again caught. "But only if you want to." He smiled, and left her to her thouhts.

While Hinata was let alone, she couldn't move. _I-Is this a d-date? Did he really want to go with m-me?_

--

The two were silent until they reached Ichiraku's. Naruto was still thinking about what had happened at the springs. He had noticed how Hinata had grown. She didn't seem like the weird girl she was before, still shy, but definitely not weird.

"Hey Naruto! Oh, who's your friend?" Hinata quickly sat down, while Naruto took a seat right next to her.

"This is Hinata." He said while giving her a grin.

Trying to avert her eyes from Naruto she gave Teuchi a low bow. "N-nice to meet you."

"Right back at you." He had already served the two bowls of miso-ramen.

"I've heard g-great things about your ramen." She remarked while sneakng a peek at Naruto.

"Really? That's nice to hear. Do you always hang around Naruto?" Teuchi had figured what she meant by that.

Hinata looked at Naruto for an answer, but he was preoccupied with his food. "Umm...w-well sometimes. But today we went to the h-hot springs." Hinata and Naruto soon turned red.

"Really Naruto?! What happened to Sakura?" Teuchi found the idea of Hinata being closer to Naruto more comforting. He was just curious as to why Sakura didn't go.

"W-who? Oh, hmm I think she was on a mission." The preoccupied ninja wasn't really concerned about her anymore. This seemed t ease Hinata's thoughts.

"So how did you manage to get this lovely young girl to go instead?" He asked with a polite smile at Hinata. With a small shade of pink painted across his cheeks, he explained what happned, excluding the last incident.

"So what are your plans for the evening then?"

Naruto hadn't thought about what would happen after lunch. And, surprisingly, he did want to spend a little more time with Hinata.

"Umm... I really didn't think about it." He admitted embarrasingly. Hinata noticed him blushing, and felt more confident because she made him blush again.

"Well do you need another suggestion?" Teuchi asked happily, seeing as how his first suggestion was successful.

"Sure. What do you got this time?" He was nervous, but still felt happy.

"Why not go to a club?"

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Review if you want, not all updates will be this fast though


	3. Chapter 3

3. Another one of Teuchi's Ideas

_A club could be a really good idea. We could go dancing, maybe drink a little? If Hinata didn't want to, they at could at least get some dinner there_.

"What do you think Hinata?" Naruto couldn't help it, but he had the biggest smile on his face.

Hinata wasn't one for clubs, but Naruto did seem fond of the idea. "Yeah. W-we could go." There seemed to be more confidence in her voice than Naruto ever heard before, despite her stutter.

"Thanks Teuchi!" Naruto and Hinata had gotten up to leave, while Hinata started to walk out. "You're a real life saver by the way. Thanks again." He whispered as quietly as possible.

"Take care of her Naruto!"

Almost immediately he answered "Don't worry, I will." _I will?_ _Why did I answer so quickly?_

--

"Soo..." Naruto was usually a chatterbox, but right now when he wanted to talk to Hinata, he couldn't think of anything to say. He felt stupid for even trying to talk.

"Umm...Y-yes Naruto?" Hinata was still happy even though the two hadn't spoken much since the springs.

"S-so...umm...do you want to go straight to the club? Or, I-I don't know, w-walk around maybe?" _Why is he being so shy?_He never had a problem speaking, especially around Hinata. In fact, it was usually Hinata being quiet when he was around.

Hinata let a light coat of pink cover her cheeks and and felt like fainting. But she was trying with all her might to not pass out...again. "A w-walk would be n-nice."

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea."

It was getting pretty dark outside, even with the little bit of sun shining on them, but still gave the evening an ominous feeling. The two had been walking for about an hour discussing various things.

"It's getting late. Did you still want to go to the club with me?" Naruto had never been so nervous about a non-shinobi problem. He tried to be as calm as possible and walked with his hands in his pockets to keep them from fiddling.

"Y-yes. At least i-it's a good time to g-" Hinata gave a scream. She quickly put her arms around his, and held herself close to him with her eyes shut.

"What? What's wrong Hinata?" He immediately drew a kunai with his free hand, barley noticing what she had done.

"L-look over t-there." There were two shining dark eyes in the alley next to them. The creature started to let out a growl and jumped out at them. It managed to bite through Naruto's jacket and scratched him on his chest. After, it simply ran away chewing on the piece of his jacket. It turned out to be a pretty big bulldog that had scared her.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" Hinata quickly unzipped his jacket and slid her hands under his shirt to make sure the scratch wasn't serious. She gently traced the scratch on his chest. Naruto liked this. Someone was genuinely concerned about him. But he soon became a dark shade of red. Hinata was still rubbing his chest, and out in publlic at that.

She soon realized this herself, removed her hands, averted her gaze to the floor and became red herself. "I-im so s-sorry. I-" Hinata just stayed quiet, while awating an answer.

"I-its okay. You were just worried that's all."

How could he be so understanding? She had ruined his day by making him wait for her to wake up, had him pay for her bill at Ichiraku's, and was now intruding on his personal space.

"Ummm...Hinata?" He waited a for a response, but figured she was embarrassed as well. "I-If you ummm...if you're still a little scared you can-" Naruto held out his arm expecting Hinata to grab a hold. Hinata was now a crimson shade, but accepted. She slowly drew closer to Naruto, then put one arm around his. They silently, but happily made their way to the club.

--

Naruto and Hinata had now made their way into the DrunkenLeaf. It was a nice club. They had good music, pool tables, food, and some pretty damn good sake too. And instead of having to eat at the bar, close to all the commotion, there were some private booths setup.

"Do you want to eat first?"

"Y-Yes, please." Hinata had gained some courage and was looking straight at Naruto. He liked this side of Hinata. She was always shy and quiet which was nice, but seeing her act strong was even more exciting.

"Okay. But, I'm paying. It wouldn't be proper if you had to."

Naruto led the way to a private booth in the corner, with Hinata still glued to his arm. She felt being near him would give her courage.

"What would you like Hinata? I was kind of thinking of dumplings?" Hinata then giggled at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing r-really." For the first time he could think of, Hinata gave Naruto a big smile. "I-I was j-just thinking, that's what I-I wanted too. But, umm...I'm not too hungry. Would y-you mind s-sharing?" Before Naruto could answer, she added "I-I just don't want you to pay for something I might not f-finish." She was searching his face to see if he bought her little excuse. Since she couldn't tell, she just took his smile as assurance it would be ok.

"I'm gonna go order the dumplings and maybe some sake?" Naruto gently nudged her with his arm while putting up a grin on his face. Hinata just smiled, and gave a nod as he left.

When he left to order, Sakura had come into the club and had noticed her. _Hinata's here? I didn't know she went to clubs. Is she alone? I doubt she'd be HERE alone. I'll go wait with her to_ _see who it is._Sakura had an evil smirk while on her way to the booth.

Hinata was less than happy to see Naruto's crush while they were having dinner together. She didn't seem too perky when Sakura started on her way over to their booth.

"Hi Hinata. What brings you here?"

"H-Hello Sakura. Umm..nothing really. I'm just w-waiting for someone."

"Ohhh! With a hot date?" _She really is here with someone._ "Who is it?"

Just then Naruto came back and saw Sakura sitting next to Hinata.

"Hi Sakura. Why're you here?" _Well that's really polite of him!_

"Naruto! Is that really any way to greet a woman?" Sakura had put on a sweet, FAKE, voice and fluttered her eyes at him.

"Whatever. You're in my seat." Sakura seemed a little put off by his response.

"No I'm not. This is Hinata's date's seat." Hinata and Naruto were both a light shade of red now.

"D-date? Hinata did you invite someone?" Naruto tilted his head down to hide his disappointment.

Before Hinata could say anything "Wait a minute! It's just you two?!" She almost sounded angry.

Naruto monotonely answered "It was until Hinata invited this _date of hers_."

"N-Naruto I-I didn't. Sakura just got the w-wrong idea." She was blushing something fierce, and couldn't look at either of them.

"Ohh. Okay." Naruto was obviously relieved, and couldn't help but smile.

"Naruto! You're her date?"

Naruto gave a look of curiousity to Hinata, but she was still facing the floor.

"Well none of this is really your business is it Sakura?" He pulled her away from his seat next to Hinata and plopped down before she could do anything.

"N-Naru-" She was cut off.

"Well our food's here so if you could please excuse us." And waved his hand if he were dismissing a child.

"B-Bye." She had never seen ths side of Naruto before. He was acting mature. When he was younger, he probably had started shouting and yelling in embarrassment. _Now he shrugged me off, and worked his way out of my question._ But she wasn't blind and could see they were sharing only one plate, sitting next to each other, and were having dinner alone too. But to make sure, she thought she'd stick around.

Hinata was dually impressed and ecstatic that Naruto had not given her a straight 'no'. _Maybe there was some hope for-_

"Hinata?"

"Y-yes Naruto?" She kept her eyes just below his.

"Umm...nevermind." He raised his sake for a toast. "To friends."

"To friends." They toasted and downed their drinks. "T-Thank you Naruto. I'm really having fun."

"I should thank you. I was thinking about how boring today would be without missions. But I've really had fun too."

After they had finished eating, both of them were a little tipsy. They hadn't had too much to drink, but it seemed like a nice night to indulge themselves a little.

"Hinata? Do you want to dance?" Naruto was unkowingly leaning closer to Hinata while talking. Most likely the sake's doing.

"I...I don't really know how." She seemed embarrased to admit this, but was happier when Naruto replied.

"I don't either." He started to laugh.

Hinata was also giggling. "So w-why did you ask?" Hinata was now doing the same as Naruto, and started to lean.

"I thought maybe you wanted too, and I figured if you wanted to, I'd try it."

She turned to say something, but then stopped. Their faces were now closer than they have been all night. Naruto seemed mesmerised by her white eyes, while Hinata had the same problem with him. Little by little Naruto was unknowingly moving in closer and closer to Hinata's pink, inviting lips. He closed his eyes and-

"I...I'm sorry Hinata. I'll be b-back." Naruto, ashamed, ran to the bathroom. _What was I doing? Do-do I like her? It's not fair to her. I-I don't know what to do._

Hinata wasn't sure what had just happened. Was it her fault? Did she do or say something earlier? All she knew was that she was feeling depressed, and decided to leave before he came back. He didn't want him to see her as a crybaby. As she got up to leave, a drunk came up to her.

"Hey baby! Where are you goin'?"

"W-what?" Hinata was panicking and was trying not to let out tears.

"Get over here. Hey- don't ignore me. You bett-"

"Stop it!" Naruto came towards them, and clenched his fists. Hinata saw but didn't want him to start something just for her. She quickly grabbed his hands in hers. _Did...did I just grab his hands? I can't believe I'm actually holding his hands. They're so gentle, but strong at the same time. _

Naruto then improvised for Hinata, and came up with a non-violent solution.

"Did he hurt you honey?" He brushed his hands against the side of he eyes to wipe her tears away. The unwanted guest wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with a shinobi over a girl, and backed off.

"W-what?" Hinata pushed her cheeks into his hands unconsciously. _They're so warm and comforting._She was still surprised, but she was staring at him with those pale eyes he seemed to be so mesmerized by. Naruto then leaned in towards her face, and brushed his lips against her lower lip. Hinata then caressed his upper lip with hers. The two went back and forth for a while, but finally broke apart staring into each others eyes. _H-He kissed me..._Soon after she fainted into Naruto's arms.

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Read, Review, will update when i can


	4. Chapter 4

4.Seriously?

Sakura had watched the scene going on with Hinata and Naruto. '_WHAT?!'_Inner Sakura had gone beserk_. 'That jerk kissed her and not me! But...why am I getting so mad?'_

Naruto, now red as a tomato, carried Hinata out of the DrunkenLeaf. While he was walking with her in his arms, Hinata had snuggled her face into his chest, which seemed to make Naruto happy as well.

When he made his way to his apartment, he placed Hinata on his bed, and covered her up. Naruto rummaged through his closet for an extra blanket and pillow, and made his way to the couch. He, however, had trouble falling asleep.

**I kissed her. **Naruo brought his hands to his lips, at the thought of that sweet moment. **What does that mean? Was it because I was drunk? I mean she is cute, but I don't know her that much. **Naruto soon drifted into a deep sleep, with his thoughts.

--

Morning came, and the sun's rays shone throughout Konoha. Hinata woke up, and took small notice of her surroundings, until she was completely awake. Then her eyes shot open!

_Where am I?! The last thing i remember is..._Hinata instantly turned a crimson red, at the thought of the kiss they shared. She, likewise Naruto, touched her lips. She was now trembling from excitement and fear. _What if he didn't mean it? What if...we were just drunk. I remember we had some sake. But, I didn't think we had **that** much. But, is this his apartment?_

Hinata hesitantly tip-toed to the doorway, and scanned her surroundings. There was no one in sight, but she could hear rustling in one of the nearby rooms. She looked around, and didn't see anyone. Then she looked over the couch, and noticed a peaceful Naruto sleeping.

She was desperately resisting the urge to brush his blonde hair out of his eyes, to reveal those deep blue eyes she loved to lose herself in. _Wait..._Hinata was immediately red again. Naruto had opened his eyes to see Hinata staring back at him. He just smiled, and started to sit up. He winced a little at the pain that came from his chest. He had almost forgotten about that considering the other events that took place last night.

"N-Naruto t-thank you for letting me s-sleep here." She wanted to die so bad, but was somewhat happy at the same time.

Shocked, Naruto just shook his head. "It's no problem...really." When he started to put his hands behind his head, the pain returned to his chest. Hinata had noticed this, and brought out a little container from her jacket.

"What's that?" Naruto turned his attention to the jar Hinata had pulled out.

"O-Ointment. I-It's really good for cuts." She started to hand him the jar.

"Umm...I can't really see it. Do you think you could, umm, put it on for me?" He blushed and looked away from her.

Hinata was beet red but managed to murmur a 'yes.' Naruto was just as shocked, but started to take off his shirt. If it was possible, she was even a darker shade of red. Naruto's firm, tight abs were exposed yet again. Then she noticed his muscular pecs, and then his biceps. She tried not to stare, but he was making it very difficult. Hinata, who was now trembling, took off the lid and put some of the medicine on her right index and middle fingers. She then went onto apply the medicine. Naruto winced as it started to take effect. Hinata then blew on the wound, which sent shivers down Naruto's back. She slowly moved her head up, only to find those blue orbs looking back at her.

"H-Hinata..." Naruto whispered into her ear, which made her tense up.

"Y-yes?" Just then Naruto gently grabbed her chin to put them on eye level. **I can't help it any more. **Hinata, trying to escape his grasp, got up to leave, when Naruto grabbed her hands to stop her. He then did something that surprised both of them.

Naruto brought their lips together. This time his tounge gently entered Hinata's mouth. She made no objection to his advances. He then proceeded to tease her tongue with his. **She's so sweet. Why haven't I done this before? **The two broke apart for shortly for air. But, Naruto continued kissing, and gently nibbling her neck, which earned a few low moans from Hinata. Then, Hinata pulled him up, and returned the kiss! She gently put her lips on his, but was withholding her tongue. Hinata was teasing Naruto by sucking on his upper lip. This was driving him crazy! Naruto finally deepened the kiss, and their tongues were dancing in their mouths. Naruto's hands left hers, and started to run up and down her back. Hinata then put hers around his neck and never broke the kiss.

They continued for several minutes, until there was a knock on the door. Hinata jumped back from Naruto, while he scrambled to find his shirt. When he answered, it was none other than her own cousin, Neji!

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Surprise update, wasn't gonna write for a while, but I found some time. Thanks for the previous reviews by the way. Continue to do so, if you like the chapters.

Returning to school soon, so longer update times should be expected, sorry.


	5. Chapter 5

Review and enjoy until the next chapter

5. Relief?

Neji had just interrupted something between Naruto and Hinata! She was beet red, and Neji was ready to kill Naruto. Without warning, Neji gave him a strong blow to his heart, similar to the one he gave Hinata during the Chunin Exams. Hinata could only stare on in horror. _I'm so weak..._

--

Hinata had jumped out of Naruto's bed, with her heart beating rapidly. She was sweating fiercely, and had drenched the pillow and her jacket in her perspiration_. It...was a dream? A nightmare's more like it. But if it wasn't real...why aren't I home_? Thinking back to her dream, she left the room, and headed towards the living room--again. To her dismay, Naruto was there on the couch, sleeping just as he had been in her dream. Afraid it might come true, she went back to the room to get her shoes, and try to leave as soon as possible.

Just as she had reached the door she could hear a faint voice. "Hinata?"

"Y-Yes, Naruto?" She hesitantly moved closer to the couch the blonde ninja was now sitting on.

Naruto let out a yawn, and stretched his arms behind his head with a wide motion. The pain from his scratch caused his arms to fall back to his sides. Naruto walked into his room. He stood in front of the mirror, and lifted his shirt to reveal the gash that had placed across his chest. "Wow. This cut was a little bigger than I thought." He laughed nervously as he returned to his quiet friend.

Hinata, despite having her dream, still pulled out the ointment she had in her pockets. "H-Here." A light shade of pink was now plastered onto her cheeks. She extended her hands to him, but the ointment never left her hands.

"Thanks. But, you don't have to worry about it. I've been hurt a lot worse." He gently pushed her arms back to her sides, while she was getting over the shock that he was touching her.

"Naruto, take it...please." Seeing the sternness of her face, Naruto grabbed the jar, and gave her another one of his famous grins.

"But I don't want to use it all up so I'll put it on right now." His shirt was off before he could even realize what affect that would have on his shy guest. Luckily for Hinata, he was applying the medicine himself. Hinata, though, was staring absent-mindedly at his chest. But it wasn't even because she was ogling his well-developed body or because she was too nervous to do anything. She had noticed a strange seal placed on his stomach. _Why didn't I see that before? _Then again, the last time she saw him shirtless wasn't the most comfortable of times for her.

Naruto had noticed Hinata staring at him for a while now. **Did I miss something? **"Is something wrong? Did I miss a spot?" She seemed dazed, so Naruto gently shook her.

Hinata had now snapped back into reality. "W-What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. But...w-what's that?" Naruto clearly understood when she pointed to his stomach.

**Crap! I shoudn't have been so careless! **Naruto was now mentally scolding himself, while Hinata was patiently waiting for an answer.

**Well maybe she won't be mad...Still I think I should wait a while.**

Laughing nervously, Naruto sat back down and motioned for Hinata to do the same. After convincing herself to take a seat, she sat on the edge of the couch safely putting distance between them. Despite that fact, she still couldn't help but blush.

Naruto took a deep breath, and began to try and explain the seal on his stomach. "You see Hinata, it's like...Okay, do you remember the Kyuubi attack on the village?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well, okay, this is something no one knows about that night...the Ky-" Loud bangs and screams at the door interrupted his explanation.

"NARUTO! Wake up!" The pink-haired kunoichi was still pissed off from the night before for unknown reasons, even to her. This should be a good way to get back! Despite that, Naruto was happy that he was cut off from having to explain any further.

--

Naruto opened his door to find, a now dumbstruck, Sakura taking in the situation. Naruto opened the door, no shirt, Hinata looking intense as ever, but with a crimson face, and Hinata on the couch no less! _Wait...Why the hell is she here anyways?!_

Naruto couldn't help but have a huge smile on his face now. Sakura had just interrupted him telling someone his dark secret. "Sakura! Good morning. What brings you here?"

"Huh? Oh," Naruto's loud voice had brougt her back to the current situation. "Tsunade wants to see you in her office. Another mission for you I guess."

Hinata, meanwhile, sat on the couch silently and a little depressed. Naruto's longtime crush had just shown up and she still didn't know what was on his stomach. Sakura was thinking up a scheme, that would have made Tsunade proud. Her reason...revenge!

While Hinata was deep in thought on the couch, she heard Sakura say something that was just enought to make her heart burst open with tears.

Sakura now tried to sound as sexy and innocent as she possibly could. "Naruto!" She gave out a small gasp, that was loud enough for Hinata to hear. "You...really have grown up huh?" Sakura quickly placed her hands on his biceps, and gave a tight squeeze. "Wow! I can barley wrap my hand around your arms." Her hands seemed to have a mind of her own, because she never meant to go any further. Sakura soon found her fingers tracing Naruto's abs. Sakura hadn't even noticed the effects of her caresses on his bare skin.

"S-Sakura..." Naruto let out a low moan, that sent shivers down Sakura's back. Hinata watched on in horror as Sakura was massaging his torso. She could feel tears coming to her eyes, but did not want to seem weak in front of Naruto, even though he could probably care less about her right now. Hinata, not even caring what he would say, ran past the two, and was out the door in an instant.

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I dont usually ask...but please review, i would just like to get an idea of who likes it, where is this goin, etc. etc.

and thanks to those of you who have reviewed already...will update as soon as i can


	6. Chapter 6

Read, Review(much appreciated), and Enjoy!

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6. Leaving?

She didn't care now. Tears were now falling from Hinata's eyes, and rolling down her cheeks. She didn't care. Hinata was running through people, and even knocking some over on her way to nowhere. She didn't care. _Maybe I'm being selfish in wanting him for myself..._ She didn't care!

Hinata has always worried about other people. She tries to help when she can. She always thinks about others. Hinata deserved to be selfish once in a while.

She had been running for a while now, and thought it best to go home. But she didn't want anyone else to know what happened, so she went to the training grounds. She stayed there for hours crying, and wondering what was wrong with her.

--

Naruto's eyes watched as Hinata sped through the doorway, his focus leaving Sakura. **I should go after her!**As Naruto was about to leave, the pink-haired temptress grabbed his arm, and pulled him to her. Sakura smirked as she watched her 'fellow' shinobi rush out the door.

"Where are you going?" She tried her innocent voice again, which had no effect this time.

"I'm going after her!" He raised his voice, not even realizing it.

"Don't worry. It's probably nothing. Maybe she just had to be somewhere?" Naruto was a little annoyed by her stopping him. He didn't seem to hide it well when he replied.

"And how would you know? You're acting like you don't even worried for her!" He started to yell, unable to restrain his anger at this point.

"Maybe I don't..." She murmured under her breath, not thinking it was audible, except to herself.

However, Naruto did hear. If she wasn't a girl, Sakura would probably have been punched through a wall by now.

"How...How can you say that?" Naruto asked just above a whisper, but with all the anger still intact. "I'm gonna go find her!" Sakura attempted to grab him again, this time he shook her away.

"Why are you going after her? I thought I was the one you liked for so long?" She almost seemed to choke on the second half of her question. Naruto should've been happy. She was accepting his feelings. Still, he remembered her attitude towards Hinata, and became irritate again.

In an a voice filled with angst he gave his answer, "I thought I did too." And with that, he vanished from sight.

Sakura stood speechless as she watched him go, small tears forming in her eyes.

--

**Why am I going after her? Why did Sakura choose now to reveal her feelings? Either way I have to find Hinata! **

As Naruto was going about looking frantically for the heart-broken ninja, he ran into Shizune.

She let out a scream as if she was cheering. "AIIIIIIIEEEEE!! Naruto! Tsunade's been looking for you all morning." Without any warning, she grabbed Naruto by the wrists, and dragged him to the Hokage's office.

"Naruto!"Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the building. "I had Sakura call you here for an special mission, and there's no time to waste!"

At the mention of the mission, he forgot everything else, including Sakura's advances and Hinata.

"Well what is this 'special' mission?" He was starting to get on her last nerve.

"Naruto?" She asked as politely as she could. "If you don't shut the hell up, then I am going to kill you." Tsunade simple stated this in a very calm voice, which began to further freak him out.

"Naruto, I want you to promise me that you will be calm." Naruto still scared, only answered with a nod. "Naruto, as you know, only a handful of people are aware of my current age. And I really do not want to continue this lifestyle. It's getting to be far too stressful on me..."

Naruto was getting anxious at the way the conversation was going, "So what does that mean?"

"If I am to retire from my position... I will need a replacement... no a successor." Naruto was still. He had no expression on his face, except for his eyes being glued to Tsunade's. **Is this a joke? Is it a dream? I-I've always waited for this day. I can't beli-**

"Naruto?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you get what this means? She gave him a dark smirk.

"I think so..."

"Good I need you to get that Pervy Sage of yours to come talk to me." Naruto's head dropped in disappointment.

"O-Oh...ok." He got up from his seat and began to walk out of the office.

Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Naruto..." She was interrupted by her own laughter. Shizune, on the other hand, didn't think it was so funny. So she told him instead.

"Naruto, I'm so sorry. She was just joking," At that point Shizune shot Tsunade a nasty glare. "Hokage-sama was referring to you." She quickly glanced back at Naruto with a grin.

Immediately he ran up to them. "A-Are you serious?!" The fun was gone for Tsunade, and went back to her monotone voice.

"Yes yes. It' all true. But, there is a drawback." At this Naruto stopped jumping up and down with Shizune, and took a seat once more. "You must leave the village for two years!"

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Sorry for the wait, (school started) this chapter wasn't even that long.  
I'll try to make longer ones faster, review if you like the chapter


	7. Chapter 7

I'll try and get to the NaruHina problem within a couple of chapters, thanks for the reviews

Read, Review, Enjoy!  


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7. Now?

"Two years?" Naruto was in disbelief**. Everything just settled down, and I have to leave? But-"**

"Yes." Before Naruto could ask his next question, she already answered. "You're leaving now!"

"W-What? Why now?"

"The faster you leave, the faster you'll be able to return."

"Well why do I have to leave at all?" At this point, Tsunade sat back down. Shizune began to explain the next part.

"Naruto you need to be trained for this job-"

"You mean, you're going to train me?" Naruto didn't seem to be too happy about this situation.

"Yes."

"But, shouldn't the Hokage do that. I mean, wouldn't that make more sense." Shizune seemed a little hurt that he didn't think much of her.

"Don't worry Naruto. Shizune is very capable, and will teach you what you need to know. There will be no more questions! Now go home, and pack the essentials." With that, Shizune escorted him out of the Hokage Mansion. "When you're done packing, meet me at the front gate. Oh, and wear something casual. We don't want it to look like we're shinobi, ok?" Naruto nodded, and left home.

--

Hinata had was finished crying. Mainly it was because she couldn't anymore. Not wanting to alarm her father or Neji, she decided to go back home. Hopefully, nobody would notice something was slightly off about her. _I can't believe that actually happened. _

_--_

Sakura had left Naruto's, and was now wandering Konoha._ Why? Why would he choose her and not me? What's so great about her? _As she was walking, she saw Hinata walking mindlessly walking. _Why now? Why do I all of a sudden like Naruto? I mean, I never really did before? Am I jealous? _Sakura broke out into a fit of laughter. _Why should I be jealous of her? I mean I don't hate her, but- _Sakura decided she had thought about the matter enough, and returned home.

--

Naruto had finished up his packing. He was excited to be able to start proper training to become Hokage. However, he was starting to feel homesick already. It was then that his memories of Sakura and Hinata hit him.** I have to see _her _before I leave. **Determined to go see 'her,' Naruto decided to leave a bit early. The sun was setting,and the sky was a light reddish-pink making it look as if it was on fire. Gentle breezes were blowing through Konoha, and the leaves were dancing throughout the village.

Naruto set off to find 'her,' when an unexpected figure jumped out in front of him.** Is that-?**

There, in front of him, was a woman, dressed in tight black shorts that stopped just above her knees and a long-sleeved shirt that was slightly hung, effectively covering her arms and hands entirely. **Why is she here so early?** She spoke first, cutting off his thoughts.

"Well since you're ready, let's get going Naruto!" She was observing Naruto in his black tee and khaki pants. "We should be get there in a couple of days if we leave now."

"Actually, I have to take care of something, if that's all right."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but Tsunade gave me strict orders to leave once you were done packing."

"Shizune can I-" She shot him a stern look, and turned to face towards the direction they were leaving. "A-Alright... Let's go." With their argument done, they headed out.

--

Meanwhile, Tsunade had sent for Sakura. Her apprentice had taken her sweet time getting to the office.

"Sakura!" Recognizing the angry voice, Sakura sprinted for her door.

"Y-Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"Sakura you will no longer be my apprentice, but my personal assistant. You will report here at 6:00 sharp every morning. And for now, you will no longer go on missions unless I specifically assign them to you. Do you understand?" Sakura stood shocked at the idea of her being Tsunade's right hand. However, she had always wanted this position.

"B-But why? What happened to Shizune?" Tsunade figured if Sakura was to be her new assistant, she should confide in her.

Tsunade took a deep breath, and began to explain the situation. "... So Shizune will be training Naruto for the next two years." The pink-haired ninja stood her gound trying to process the new information given to her. _He's gone...again? Why...why does everyone leave me? First Sauske, and now Naruto. _

"Sakura? Are you alright?" She was trying desperately to hold back the tears that were coming to her eyes. Tsunade could see she would need time for this adjustment, and gave her the rest of the evening off.

"Thank you Tsunade." Sakura rushed out the door, and promptly returned home. In her room she began to let some tears finally break loose. _You better come back safe..._

_--_

Hinata had now arrived back home. Nobody seemed to be home at the time, which was good for her. She lazily made her way to her dresser, and began to change into her sleeping clothes. She then proceeded to collapse ontp her bed. Tonight she would probably cry herself to sleep. _I don't even think I'll be able to face him tomorrow. _A few tears fell from her eyes, before drifting into sleep. Little did she know, she wouldn't see him tomorrow... or a long time after that.

--

It was getting dark and cold. Shizune and Naruto had been traveling for hours now, and had definitely left the outskirts of the village. The two made their way into a small village. Luckily, they at least had a restaurant and an inn. Shizune decided to go book the rooms, while Naruto tried to find a decent place to eat. There was no ramen stand in the town! So when Shizunereturned, they stopped for dumplings. Dinner was fairly quiet, until Naruto decided to ask about his training, as was expected.

"So Shizune, what's this special training that's so special I have to leave for two years?" He didn't seem to think much of this mission.

"The gist of it is that you will be learning to handle the responsibilities of Hokage."

Naruto made a weird expression at her and asked again, "Well what are we really gonna' do?"

"I'll leave the specifics for later." She took a sip of her tea, as if the discussion was over. "But don't worry Naruto, you will learn some new jutsus." She then gave him a big grin.

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I'll try and update as soon as I can


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for being so late with the update...I've been sick, and I haven't had any free time lately.  
Also, I don't really think fighting scenes are my strength...so let me know how I did, thanks.  
Read, Review, and Enjoy!

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8. Training?

Naruto and Shizune had arrived at the designated area for his training. It was a cabin way out in the Fire Country. It would be enough for them to live in for quite some time, maybe even years. It was a comfortable place with several rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and all the comforts of home. The cabin itself was very well-hidden among the trees and bushes. As always, Naruto was eager to start his training, and had been pestering Shizune for a while now.

"C'mon! Tell me what we're going to do already!" He just got on her last nerve.

"Naruto, shutup! If you can beat me, I'll tell you what you're going to do ok?!" He stood with his mouth agape, and his eyes in surprise.

"Y-You mean like a fight?"

"Yes." _Will I really be able to take him on? I mean he is able to compete on Kakashi's level..._

"Alright. Let's go. And I won't lose either." He gave her a grin, and got into a fighting stance. Naruto still hadn't mastered any form of taijutsu, but he was good enough for now.

"Ok, let's go." Shizune made a quick series of hand seals, and her hands began to emit chakra. He remembered that these chakra blades. As expected, Naruto used Shadow Clones to distract her while he went around for a surprise attack. However, Shizune waved her arm in front of her and sent a large arc of chakra towards the clones making short work of them. **I don't remember that move. This should be interesting. **

Shizune interrupted his thoughts with another chakra wave. She was faster than he ever imagined, and wasn't even giving him time to think. In an instant, she was behind Naruto and struck his thighs. Naruto's legs gave way to his weight, and he collapsed_. How_... Shizune turned as fast as she could barley avoiding a rasengan. Still, the force of it made her lose her ground, and made her fly back a couple of feet.

"How did you...?"

"Why does everybody think they can get me that fast?" He chuckled a little while he was staring at her surprised face. However, that expression soon turned to a smirk.

"I know what you mean."

Naruto now had a confused look, and stopped laughing. "What?"

"Everyone thinks the same about me." The Shizune on the ground transformed into a wooden log, signaling that it was just a substitution jutsu. The real Shizune was now in the air, and launched a barrage of poison-tipped needles at him. Naruto quickly rolled out of the way. Right after Shizune hit the ground, she released poison gas from her mouth. She didn't expect an army of shadow clones to jump out and surround her. They all had kunai drawn, and were ready to attack, even the real Naruto. Right when they started to charge at her, she spun herself around gathering large amounts of chakra into her hands. While she was spinning she lashed out with giant chakra blades flying out in all directions. The blades blew through the clones with ease. Even the real Naruto had trouble dodging them. In the end, he was buffeted with the many attacks, and finally relinquished his assault. Shizune saw this, and stopped her attacks.

She was a little tired, but was pleased with the outcome. Trying to catch her breath, she asked, "You impressed now?"

Naruto was on the floor lying down, and gave out a small chuckle. "Looks like I did underestimate you, huh?"

"Guess you did." She gave a him a small smile, and began to attend to his wounds.

"But, you are going to teach me that right?" His smile now matched hers.

She just continued to smile at him as they returned to the cabin.

--

That night, after dinner Naruto went to lie down on his bed. For the first time since he left, it really hit him that he would be away from the village for two years. **I'm gonna be away from home for that long?!** And for the first time, he thought about 'her.' He started to feel very depressed and lonely. **I can't believe I didn't even tell 'her' I was leaving...Then again, it wasn't my fault! I mean Shizune didn't even give me time to do anything before I left! **Naruto thought about the matter for a while before drifting off to sleep, but not before whispering 'her' name...**_Hinata..._**

--

Hinata's day would turn out to be more than she bargained for. She hadn't planned on seeing Naruto, in fact, she thought she would avoid him for as long as possible. However, what Hinata didn't know was that he had left the night before. After waking up, she decided that she would train for the entire day. Lately she had been slacking off, and didn't want to get too far behind. While at the training grounds, she just found herself not being able to concentrate on her training. Unconsciously, she found herself going to the hot springs_. Maybe he'll be there_. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him...or the disgusting scene that took place right in front of her.

Hinata had begun to doze off in the springs. Whether or not he was there, they were really relaxing. Plus, it allowed her more time to think about her dilemma. _I know he's not the brightest when it comes to other people's emotions, but did he really think that wouldn't effect me. I guess it's not completely his fault though, I mean 'she' did start it. And I guess he did like her for a long time. _She gave out a deep and long sigh. _How...how could I think that he would like me? I mean he's never had any reason to notice me before. Maybe I should just give up on_- Out of nowhere, Sakura had seemed to appear. Fate was in no way being kind to her.

Sakura too seemed to be shocked by her presence as well. For a few minutes, the two kunoichi stared at each other relentlessly. Finally, Hinata broke the gaze and left without a word. And for the first in a long time, she was filled with pure anger! Hinata got out of there, and started to wander into around the village once again. However, around noon, she had seen Neji walking around as well.

Her white-eyed cousin looked into her matching eyes. "Tsunade requests your presence in her office." His solemn voice worried his opal-eye cousin.

"W-Why?" Tsunade was their Hokage, yet Hinata couldn't help but be intimidated by her. But, when angered, Hinata would be right in staying clear from Tsunade's path.

Neji stayed silent before Hinata repeated herself. "I-I don't know, but...you should probably go now."

"O-Okay. Good-bye Neji." Her serious-looking cousin turned and left. **Don't take it too hard, Hinata.** But, this made her more uncomfortable. _He never stutters or pauses when he speaks. He's always cut and to the point. Something's wrong. I know it. _

As Hinata made her way to Tsunade's office, she was thinking about what could make Neji so uncomfortable. Soon, she had made her way to the office. When she walked in, Tsunade had a bottle of sake on her desk. She seemed to have taken a few cups of it already, and was slightly buzzed.

"Ahh, Hinata! Good to see you here. Congratulations!"

"Uhh, h-hello Tsunade. W-What am I being congratulated on?"

"Right! I haven't told you anything yet, huh?"

Hinata couldn't tell if Tsunade's unprofessional behavior was comforting or worrying her. She stood quietly awaiting orders from the Hokage.

"Starting today, you'll be my apprentice!" Hinata was hit with several emotions at once. Shock was the most overwhelming, while happiness came second.

"B-But why? And what happened to Sakura?"

Tsunade seemed to straighten up at this. The room became filled with tension. Yet, being drunk, she couldn't control herself. "She is now my assisstant."

"B-But what happened to Shizune?" Still, Hinata felt she didn't really want to know what happened.

"She will be on an extended mission..." Tsunade explained the story while hiccuping and stuttering along the way. Fate was not being kind to Hinata at all. As soon as she heard, "Naruto left with her as well and..." it was as if something in her died. She would no longer be the quiet, but kind, Hyuga girl everyone knew. She didn't hear anything else. As soon as she was dismissed, Hinata ran home. No one could console her, even her cousin or sister. _I'll probably be alone forever..._ That night, she stayed up letting out all her emotions.

_N-Naruto...how could you?_

_

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_Hopefully, I'll have time for faster updates.

Once again, sorry for the long upload time!


	9. Chapter 9

9. Depressed?

A couple of weeks had passed, and Hinata was still not accustomed to not having Naruto around. Even though she never actually spoke to him, just seeing his smiling face was enough to keep her happy. Her memories of him always made her feel like she was still worthy enough to be a ninja. Lately, however, Hinata was still feeling like the academy student she was long ago. When not training with Tsunade, her day consisted of wandering around aimlessly. Sometimes, she would visit the hot springs and the DrunkenLeaf hoping and praying that Naruto was in there. And each time, she felt herself being more disappointed than the last.

--

"Okay Naruto, one more time."

Naruto lay on the floor, dead tired from the training Shizune had put him through. "Shizune, I'm tired. Can we try it again later?" For a while, she stood frozen trying to figure out if Naruto actually said that. _He never wants to stop training. Something has to be wrong. _

"Uhh sure Naruto. You deserve a break anyways..." Naruto happily got up, and made his way back to the cabin.

"I-Is something wrong Naruto? If there is, you can tell me-"

Naruto gave her his toothy grin, and replied, "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." While Naruto was walking, memories from his night with Hinata raced through his mind. **Did it even happen? It happened so fast. I mean, maybe she really didn't like me. **This thought started to depress him. **I liked her though. It was really nice when we walked to the club. Even though she only held onto my arm for a while, it was still really...nice. **This thought started to cheer him up again.** She probably won't remember me when I go back though...**

--

Sakura, while enjoying the position of Hokage's assistant, was preoccupied with her thoughts most of the time. She was having trouble focusing to complete the simplest of tasks. For example, she almost brought Tsunade tea instead of her sake a couple of times. Still, most of her time was spent trying to avoid Hinata. It was getting to be increasingly difficult seeing as how Hinata was now Tsunade's apprentice. A part of Sakura honestly didn't know if she started to like Naruto because she really liked him... or if she was getting jealous, and wanted to separate Hinata and Naruto. _I don't get it...I never used to like Naruto. But, it could be natural. I mean Sauske hasn't been around, so it would only be normal to return the feelings. But that's the thing... How come I feel like I'm only returning the feelings because I'm lonely. Does that make me a bad person? _Even though she tried to convince herself it was alright, Sakura knew what she did was wrong. _How could I do that? What was I thinking?! Hinata never hurt anyone before, so why? Why now, and why her?_After contemplating her options, Sakura thought up a solution. She knew what she had to do. _I'll talk to her after my shifts over. _

--

Somewhere out in the Fire Country, near a small secluded cabin, Naruto and Shizune were having a small picnic. Shizune noticed Naruto's hard work lately...and the fact that something was still bothering him. The medic-nin, being as cunning as she was, would talk about Konoha the whole time.

"You know, it's such a shame we had to leave home so soon. It's pretty windy out here, but at home it's probably a nice, sunny day with a couple of breezes." She gave out a fake, deep sigh and looked up to see what Naruto's reaction was. However, he had almost no emotion on his face, not even his trademark grin was painted onto his face. Shizune tried to narrow down the source of his pain by talking about various things. She started to talk about Tsunade, Jiraiya, and even Sakura. Shizune figured it had to have been a serious problem if Sakura wasn't the cause of it.

"You know, I'm actually starting to miss Sakura." Shizune was baffled when she saw Naruto scrunch his face at her name. "What's wrong? You don't miss her?"

Naruto thought about whether he should divulge any information to his new sensei. But seeing as how she would be the only one around for a while, he thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad. As Naruto started to explain what had happened, Shizune made no attempts at interrupting or showing any expressions. _Poor Naruto! He gets his first kiss, and then he's left confused. Then Sakura comes and confuses him even more. Some of this is my fault too though! I should have just let him take care of whatever he needed to do instead of leaving early. _

"So what do you think I should do?" Shizune realized that, for once, Naruto was aware of someone else's feelings.

"Well, Naruto, I don't know. Who is the one that you really like? Do you like Sakura, or just a attraction? I mean, before this happened, it seemed like you stopped trying to get her to notice you all the time. Maybe, it's just the idea that she's returning your feelings, that make you want her."

Naruto, almost instantly replied, ""Well that's a good thing! Isn't it?"

"Well not necessarily. What if she's only returning the feelings because someone else finally noticed you?" This really hit Naruto hard. He silently left their picnic, and wandered off into the surrounding woods. Shizune felt even worse now. _First, I make him leave early without letting him say good-bye, and now I went and told him this!_

Those words really got into Naruto's head. **What if it's true? What if Sakura only did it to mess with Hinata? She wouldn't do that...would she? I mean she always did crazy things to be near Sauske, so would that really be a stretch for her to piss off Hinata? And most of it is my fault. I mean I can't believe I actually let Sakura do that in front of someone, especially Hinata. I never meant to hurt her though...**

**-- **

Hinata had finished training with Tsunade, and was exhausted. She thought she might go to the hot springs, and then home. This seemed to be her ritual after every day of hard training. Either that, or she would go to dinner at DrunkenLeaf. Neji had noticed this growing pattern, and even tried inviting her to go to dinner with Lee and Tenten, but she seemed bent on going to dinner alone. But, before she had a chance to eave the training grounds, Sakura came out from behind a tree.

For a while now, Hinata had been harboring a lot of anger towards her. She replied with a cold tone in her voice. "I was wondering when you were going to come out." She mangaged to keep an expressionless face while talking to her.

"How did you-" Hinata pointed towards her activated Byakugan. "Right. So-"

"Did you need something?" Hinata's voice now had a more annoyed tone than anything. _When did she get so cold? I-I never imagined the effects- _Hinata shot Sakura a dark glare.

"Umm, yea. I came here to tell you something. It's about Naruto... You see-" Hinata turned at the sound of Naruto's name, and began to walk off. "No wait..." Sakura put her hand on her shoulders to turn Hinata around.

"Don't touch me." Hinata's response was dark and cold. Using Juuken, she gave a weak push to Sakura's stomach. This sent her flying into a nearby tree.

"H-Hina-" Sakura was now lying down next to the tree, trying to heal her wound. "I-I'm sor-"

"Save it. You're not sorry. You just want me to tell you that you're forgiven, so **you**won't feel so bad! Well you know what, you should feel bad!" Sakura lay down in horror, as she now saw the true affects her actions had on poor Hinata. "You knew...you knew how I felt about him. And then you waltz in, and in one minute make him forget about me. Do you know how long it took for him to even notice me?! You know what... forget it." Hinata turned and marched off. "Oh and by the way... if you haven't figured it out, you're apology isn't accepted."

Meanwhile, Sakura tried lean herself against the tree she had just been slammed against. _H-How? S-Since when did she act like that?! _Could Hinata be blamed? Even though, she should have felt remorse for her actions, a new emotion filled her. At that point, Inner Sakura filled her thoughts. _"That bitch! Who does she think she's messing with? Naruto will be mine, and she'll be left with no one. _Their new-found rage for each other definitely made working for Tsunade much more interesting.

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Thanks for reading, please review, and don't worry... problems will be resolved very soon!  
I'm trying my best to post new chapters as soon as I can.


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